Alert archive / Wisconsin / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 31, 2008Saint Croix County, Wisconsin; Washington County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 31, 2008, 7:23 PM CDT for Saint Croix County, Wisconsin; Washington County, Minnesota. It was in force for 32 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 31, 2008, 7:23 PM CDT (00:23 UTC)
Expired: May 31, 2008, 7:55 PM CDT
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Washington County, MN, Saint Croix County, WI

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 74 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:24 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 31, 8:04 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	3 Nnw Stillwater, MN	FIVE TREES UPROOTED AND ONE SNAPPED NEAR 96TH STREET AND NOREL AVE.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 31, 2:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 77 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 137 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2074 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 61 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 153 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WFUS53 KMPX 010023
TORMPX
MNC163-WIC109-010115-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0017.080601T0023Z-080601T0115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
723 PM CDT SAT MAY 31 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHWESTERN ST. CROIX COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...

* UNTIL 815 PM CDT

* AT 719 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO. THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM WAS 5 MILES EAST OF
  HUGO...OR ABOUT 9 MILES NORTH OF STILLWATER...AND MOVING           
  SOUTHEAST AT 38 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  SOMERSET...
  NEW RICHMOND...
  BOARDMAN...
  BURKHARDT...
  HOULTON...
  STILLWATER...
  MARINE ON ST. CROIX...

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST
DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 4522 9274 4512 9240 4499 9270 4517 9298
      4526 9284
TIME...MOT...LOC 0023Z 320DEG 33KT 4515 9284

$$

MDB

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS53 KMPX 010055
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
754 PM CDT SAT MAY 31 2008

MNC163-WIC109-010104-
/O.CAN.KMPX.TO.W.0017.000000T0000Z-080601T0115Z/
WASHINGTON MN-ST. CROIX WI-
754 PM CDT SAT MAY 31 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN ST. CROIX AND NORTHERN
WASHINGTON COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE SEVERE STORM HAD MOVED OUT OF THE 
WARNED AREA. THEREFORE...THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED. 
STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN IN THE AREA HOWEVER. BE ALERT 
FOR ADDITIONAL WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS.

THE SEVERE STORM AND TORNADO HAVE MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED AREA.
THEREFORE...THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

LAT...LON 4522 9274 4512 9240 4499 9270 4517 9298
      4526 9284
TIME...MOT...LOC 0054Z 320DEG 33KT 4493 9259

$$

MDB

The office that day

Everything else NWS Twin Cities, MN issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 31, 7:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Pierce, Saint Croix	47 min
May 31, 8:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Pierce	41 min
May 31, 7:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Dakota	44 min
May 31, 7:18 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Anoka, Ramsey, Washington	30 min
May 31, 7:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Sibley	19 min
May 31, 7:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Goodhue	43 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Wisconsin, 2008 Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes in 2008

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.